Screening of ‘Greatest Beer Run Ever,’ true tale of NYC man’s mission to brings brew to pals in Vietnam, tops off Inwood Film Festival

Chick Donohue, born and raised in Inwood, is ready to share his remarkable story one more time for a special hometown crowd.

The 81-year-old raconteur will headline a Sunday screening of “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” to close the Inwood Film Festival, with a Q&A following the tale of his 1967 mission of mercy to deliver a few cans of American suds to neighborhood pals serving in Vietnam.

“I don’t know if I’m the star,” said the self-deprecating Donohue about his festival date. “I’m in the center of things. For most of my life, I was known as a troublemaker. But I’m still doing the same things. It’s all in the eyes of the beholder.”

The 2022 movie, directed by Oscar winner Peter Farrelly with actor Zac Efron as Chick, follows Donohue’s impromptu winter excursion from cozy local bar Doc Fiddler’s to war-torn Southeast Asia.

His improbable goal: To hand-deliver the adult beverages to the Inwood boys. Against all odds, Donohue tracked down four of them after arriving with his stash of Brooklyn-brewed Rheingold.

Chick, after telling the story countless times, finally co-wrote a book published two years before the movie’s debut. He described the work as “a memoir of friendship, loyalty and war.”

The sixth annual film festival wraps up Sunday afternoon with a series of four short films from neighborhood residents, all running less than 25 minutes, before Donohue’s appearance at the Campbell Sports Center on W. 218th St.

This year’s festival featured a total of 27 films in all, many created by local movie makers.

Aaron Simms, founder and executive producer of Inwood Art Works, said the festival picks up steam every year.

“We live in an artistic desert with an embarrassment of artists,” he explained. “There are so many crazy-talented people up here. Thank God the community has embraced it.”

This is the latest stop on the long ride that began with Donohue on a barstool as a bartender loudly proposed the 8,600-mile beer delivery one boozy November night.

Only Chick answered the call.

“I figured I wasn’t married, no responsibilities to anyone,” he recalled. “I’m like John Wayne. If I died over there, I’d be a hero. But the powers that be had a different plan for me.”

The war exacted a heavy toll across Inwood, with 28 young men killed in Southeast Asia. But Donohue emerged unscathed, arriving in Saigon for the Tet Offensive before his return to the city four months later.

Donohue was excited about the idea of his old stomping grounds hosting its own film festival. Simms couldn’t agree more, citing the growing event’s low-key vibe and increasingly high profile.

“This is not Quentin Tarantino and those guys,” he explained. “This is getting to see your neighbor’s work. This film festival creates community. That’s the best thing about it.”

The event ends with a conversation between Donohue and film producer Andrew Muscato. Donohue was quick to note the format will be question and answer — and he’s fairly certain about the first two questions.

“Did you really do this? And why?” he says with a laugh. “Who knows why? I was young and dumb. I just thought the guys might fight better with a beer in them.”